1.1 A proposal has been received to carry out experimental relaying of spat cockles in the Ribble Estuary. The applicant wishes to relay 60 tonnes of juvenile cockles on an area that presently holds no cockles. Should the cockles survive and grow to the Committee’s minimum size then the applicant wishes to harvest the area using a mechanical device.

2.1 The proposal is based upon cockle cultivation being carried out in Croisic Sound, in France. Here, there is a cockle aquaculture industry over an area of 150 hectares of shore, with an annual yield of 1,200-2,000 tonnes of cockles. Spat of around 10mm shell length are collected, mainly by dredging, and is relayed at densities of 3-4kg/m² between mid-September to mid-May. There is a minimum landing size of 27mm shell length for cultivated cockles (this differs from the 30mm shell length for wild cockles), and this size is attained in 10-15 months. The cockles are then harvested mechanically. On average, 1·5kg of product is harvested for every 1kg relayed. The area is allocated in concessions of 1ha each, and 36 companies are involved in the operation. The cultivation operation has made Croisic Sound the second-ranking cockle production area in France.

2.2 The applicant wishes to bring in juvenile cockles from the Thames Estuary, and to relay them on a relatively sheltered site in the Ribble estuary that is presently devoid of cockles. The area earmarked for relaying is currently a fairly hard sand, and the applicant wishes to scarify the surface of the bed to encourage the relayed cockles to burrow into the sediment. The cockles will be checked at intervals to determine their growth rate, and to provide an indication of survival. If they reach the minimum landing size then the applicant wishes to harvest them mechanically, to simulate commercial practice and determine the yield that might be obtained. The applicant intends to apply for a research and development grant from Seafish to support the project.

2.3 Officers believe that this is a worthwhile project, and that it might lead to the establishment of cockle cultivation, perhaps as part of a Several Fishery, or Hybrid Fishery Order. The current high price of cockles makes the concept of cultivation attractive, and could help to reduce the fluctuation in yield that is common in our cockle fisheries.

2.4 Officers therefore suggest that a site visit should be made to check the suitability of the area. If the proposal appears well-founded than it is suggested that the operation should be sanctioned, and that an authorisation to harvest the plot mechanically should be issued in due course. As with the experimental mussel cultivation operations in Morecambe Bay, Officers suggest that the mechanical harvesting should be authorised under Byelaw 12 rather than Byelaw 1.